David Attenborough Returns
by Charadrius
Summary: Steven expected a normal day with Onion and his gang of friends in the woods, but he never thought that he would have to team up with his old friend David Attenborough to save those very woods from destruction!


_Authors note: If you wish to put this story in the show's canon, it takes place around_ Letters to Lars _, but definitely before_ A Single Pale Rose.

…

Summertime in Beach City usually brings about talk of parties near the ocean and barbeques on a sandy beach. On this particular day, however, summer meant that Onion's friends were in town! Steven was so glad to see the light smile on his friend's face as the two made their journey to the Delmarva forests.

"Onion was delighted that his rag-tag group of friends would finally be together again." Steven monologued for his quiet companion, "and Steven was certainly grateful to be part of it."

Onion turned to Steven and patted his back, with beaming eyes.

The two traveled some distance across town before arriving at the forest clearing, but they were shocked to find that nearly all of the area was blocked by a large fence.

"What? When was this put here?" Steven questioned, slightly grabbing at the metal links.

"Muh muh muh!" Onion exclaimed as he ran off along the fence. Steven watched as Onion ran up to his friends, Garbanzo, Pinto, Squash, and Soup. They appeared to have been waiting for a little while (with their soap-box car and all) only to be stopped by the fence.

"Hey guys!" Steven greeted as he ran up to them.

The four boys went to hug Steven graciously. "Garbanzo!" one of them shouted.

"It's nice to see you all too." Steven backed from his hug, turning to the fence. "This is crazy right? I've never seen this fence here before. I wonder who put it there?"

"Muh muh." Onion pointed to a decent-sized sign placed on the fence. It said THIS LAND IS PROPERTY OF DELMARVA DEVELOPMENT. KEEP OUT.

Steven's eyes widened with surprise. "Huh? Development? Are they going to build something here?"

Squash shook his head in disappointment. Little Pinto, being carried by Garbanzo, looked down in sadness.

"I don't understand. This is our hangout! We always come here to relax and play and be ourselves!" Steven pouted, "I wish I could get to the bottom of this."

Out of the corner of his eye, Steven noticed that someone else was present by the fence, looking intensely at one of the warning signs. One look at this elderly man's face was all it took for him to know who this was.

"David Attenborough!" Steven yelled, taking off towards the man.

With a cocked eyebrow, David turned and saw the young boy running at him. Recognizing his voice and face, he gasped in delight and got down on a lower level. "Steven!" The two collided with a big hug.

"My goodness, it is so good to see you! How have things been for you?" David asked, ending the hug and giving Steven a pat on the shoulder.

"Things have been pretty great! I went on a couple space adventures, stopped an intergalactic geo-weapon, and learned more about myself. You know, the usual." Steven said, "how about you?"

"Well, lately I have been working on my educational programs. I just did a landmark series on the oceans! I got to travel to many incredible locations and met some extraordinary animals. Right now I'm on vacation." David explained, trying to mentally picture just what a 'space adventure' entails.

As Steve and David caught-up, Onion and his friends walked up to them. Soup lightly tapped on their pot to get the two's attention.

"Hello there." David said as the two turned towards the group. Steven smiled.

"Garbanzo?" "Muh?"

"Guys, I'd like to introduce you to David Attenborough! Mr. Attenborough, this is Onion, Garbanzo, Pinto, Squash, and Soup. They're good friends of mine." Steven introduced, gesturing to each of them.

"It's my pleasure to meet you all. It brings me joy knowing that you all have been enjoying yourselves on such a beautiful summer day." David remarked, smiling at the group, who responded in kind before frowning.

"Well… here's the thing." Steven began, "we usually like to hang out in these woods, but now there's this big fence in the way!"

"Indeed." David responded, "if these signs are any indication, I'm afraid these woods may not be here for very long."

"You mean that it's going to be developed? They're going to cut down all the trees?" Steven replied, at which Onion and his friends tensed up. "…Garbanzo."

"Indeed. It's a real shame. This is one of the only old-growth forests left in the Delmarva region, and it would be a tremendous loss if it was destroyed." Attenborough stood up, placing his hands on his hips as he gazed at the fence.

"Old-growth? You mean the trees? I thought trees already were pretty old." Steven asked.

"By their nature trees are long-living organisms, yes, but an old-growth forest is special because it hasn't been altered by human beings in any significant way. These woods could be thousands of years old, with life going about its business undisturbed by any kind of development." David walked up to the fence and placed a single hand on it, saddened at the thought of losing a place like this. "This is an unfortunate thing, to be sure. A real tragedy."

Steven crossed his arms in disgust. It was bad enough that Onion, his friends, and him would no longer have a special place to hang out, but it was also pretty bad that now all kinds of animals would lose their homes.

Unexpectedly, a determined Onion ran up to the fence and pulled out a large pocket-knife. With one quick swipe, he ripped out a chunk of the fence and threw it aside. With a defiant "muh", he held up his knife and pointed towards the forest. David and Steven exchanged glances.

"This is hardly legal, but in my experience the destruction of habitats is an even bigger crime." Attenborough shrugged. Steven chucked too, "as a Crystal Gem, I'm already an outlaw!"

Safely, and in single file, everyone moved through the hole in the fence and entered the woods.

The sunlight broke through the canopy of the trees as the group trekked deep into the forest, passing by bushes, shrubs, ferns, and mossy-covered rocks. The sounds of birds, insects, and frogs echoed through the air.

"It's as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside! I can certainly see why you all love this place so much: you're absolutely encased by the natural world." David clasped his hands together.

"Oh yeah, and just wait till we get to our favorite spot!" Steven replied.

It wasn't long until the everyone made it to a clearing in the woods. There was one large tree with a low-hanging branch and another fallen tree that had been hollowed out.

Onion and his friends delighted in returning here. It wasn't long before everyone re-set up shop, with Garbanzo, Squash, and Soup placing their soap-box car safely near a big bush. Onion walked up to David Attenborough and grabbed at his pant leg slightly. Looking down, David noticed Onion pointing to the hollow log. "Oh? That's quite a good-sized log you have there." Onion smiled but continued to point at it.

Noticing David's confusion, Steven turned to him. "he wants you to take a seat on it."

"Alright, I'll happily oblige Onion." With a skip in his step, David strolled towards the log and sat down. "What a comfortable spot."

It wasn't long before Onion and his friends began snickering. Steven saw this and looked over to Attenborough. "Oh jeez."

"What's all the commotion?" David chuckled as well.

"Garbanzo!" he laughed, pointing at the log.

David felt some movement and looked down to see several insects walking across his pants. He gasped.

Steven sighed and gave an annoyed look at his friend. "Onion…"

"How delightful! Everyone come over and see!" David scooped one of the insects off of his jeans and held it very carefully.

Steven walked over, and with slight reluctance, everyone else followed.

"What is it Mr. Attenborough?" Steven asked.

"It seems your friends have a knack for finding insects." David held his hand out. "These are longhorn beetles, so named because their antennae are very long."

"Muh muh?" Onion responded.

"That's right, they are very common. There are actually many different species, and these particular ones play a very important role in maintaining forest health, eating and recycling dead wood and turning it into soil."

"Wow," Steven spoke.

"Here, little Onion, take this beetle and hold it gently between your hands." David passed the longhorn beetle over to the boy, who reached out, paused, and quietly took the insect between his fingers. It proceeded to squeak loudly and wiggle around. Frightened, Onion let it go, causing it to fly away.

Now it was Onion's turn to be giggled at.

"Muh muh muh." Onion blushed, smirking.

Chuckling, Attenborough got up from the log and turned towards it, kneeling down. "Don't fret, longhorn beetles aren't dangerous. In fact, if you take a close look at this log, you'll see a series of small holes where their larvae are buried."

Everyone got a little closer and sure enough the holes were present.

"I see them!" Steven exclaimed, "and I can see many other bugs too."

"A log is sometimes the best place to look for life. Organisms abound here, slowly taking all the deceased wood and creating new soil, which will encourage the growth of new plants. Here, let's try to see what else we can find under here." With ease, David Attenborough took the top of the log and rolled it so that the underside faced away from him and the children, in case something that was dangerous was hiding there.

Thankfully, there wasn't such an animal, but soon Steven, Onion, and their friends were treated to a spectacle of different insects, worms, and other animals. They were impressed. "Garbanzo!"

Attenborough went about identifying everything. "Of course we can see a group of termites on this side. They may cause damage to homes but out in the wild they are very essential for decomposing wood."

"Is decomposing when animals turn wood into soil?" Steven asked.

"That's right, but decomposition can occur to almost any organic matter. Dead animals, leaves, you name it." David explained, causing Pinto to stick their tongue out.

"Muh muh?" Onion pointed to what looked like a weird wasp with a large string protruding from its rear.

"Excellent eye! That's an ichneumon wasp. They play a role in making sure there aren't too many caterpillars around." David explained, "the females use that long bit at the end of their abdomen, called an ovipositor, to lay their eggs inside the bodies of caterpillars. Once they hatch, they eat the larva alive."

Steven quivered, his mind returning to some horror films he probably shouldn't have watched. Yet he was able to make a connection. "They keep the caterpillars from eating too many leaves! That's just like the red knots and the horseshoe crabs we saw a while back. They eat a lot of their eggs to make sure the crabs do not over-eat the beach!"

"Good connection Steven! Even seemingly nasty animals as these have an important role in maintaining the health of the forest." David smiled.

Soup noticed some fluttering movement away from the log. They curiously walked over and held out their hand. Before long, an orange and pine-green butterfly landed on their finger.

Soup waved to his friends, who made their way over. David followed suit, carefully placing the log back in its original spot.

"What have you got there Soup?" Steven asked, soon noticing the butterfly, "wow! It's so pretty!"

"My word, Soup, do you realize what you've found?" Attenborough gasped, placing his hands over his mouth.

Soup simply shook their head.

"That's a Hessel's hairstreak!" David crouched down, looking closer.

"Is it a special butterfly?" Steven asked.

"Oh yes, very much so. It is an endangered species." David explained, "excellent work Soup." At that, Soup blushed, happy.

"Muh muh muh, muh muh?" Onion frowned, looking up to David Attenborough. "That's right. It is in danger of extinction. This particular butterfly species is quite rare throughout its range, because their caterpillars only feed at one type of tree called the Atlantic white cedar."

"If Soup found this butterfly, then it must be looking for those trees. Maybe it wants to lay eggs?" Steven pondered, quickly looking around for any signs.

"I think we have a good adventure on our hands!" Attenborough proclaimed, "let's follow the butterfly and see where it lands."

Soup held out their hand and let the hairstreak fly off. Once it moved some distance away from the group, David encouraged everyone to follow him. Treading carefully, they moved further and further into the forest, always being sure to stay together. Squash would take sticks and place them on the ground to mark their path.

It was less than seven minutes when they noticed the butterfly had started to flutter about in one place. Steven could hear a peculiar sound.

"Do you guys hear that? It sounds like rippling water." Steven commented.

"I hear it too. Cedar trees like wetland, so we may be near a pond or stream." David said.

Soon the butterfly was back on the move. It fluttered past a grove of ferns and eventually landed on the ashy-gray bark of a tree. The group pushed the ferns aside to see a big slow-moving stream next to a large grove of cedar trees, blanketed by maples and gums.

"G… g… Garbanzo!" Garbanzo shouted, causing everyone to look up into the branches of the trees, which were absolutely covered in Hessel's hairstreaks.

"Oh my goodness gracious. This is unprecedented! There has to be hundreds of butterflies here!" David Attenborough noted in astonishment.

"They're beautiful! With so many cedar trees here, the butterflies should have plenty of food for their babies!" Steven said.

"That certainly seems so. The presence of so many endangered butterflies means that this is a good habitat. There are enough resources for living things to survive and multiply." David replied.

"Muh muh muh!" Onion added.

"Yeah! If this place gets developed, there would be no trees for the butterflies and all the other insects who need them! And there certainly wouldn't be anywhere for those turtles to live." Steven continued.

"Turtles? Where?" David asked, looking towards the stream.

"Over there, on the stream bank. Those black ones with the orange neck spots."

"Orange… oh dear, this is too good to be true!" Attenborough turned to Steven, kneeling down and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Steven! Those are bog turtles! They're one of the rarest turtles in North America!"

"Wait… really?!" Steven exclaimed. Onion and his friends shared Steven's shock.

"Absolutely! They used to range all along the east coast, but logging operations had decimated their populations dramatically, leaving them all isolated between states. I was under the impression that they were extinct in this area, but it looks like we may have made an incredible discovery!" Attenborough described as he motioned his hands accordingly. Getting up, he stood tall, "we must do everything we can to ensure that these woods remain as there are. As long as I'm here, the forest will survive!"

"And I'm right there with you!" Steven happily agreed, running up to Attenborough and giving him a high-five. "All life is precious, and worth protecting!"

The two looked over at Onion and his friends, who conversed with each other for a little while. Soon, Onion walked over to David and quietly gave him a high-five as well.

…

As the band of friends made their way out of the forest, they stopped and noticed that there was a police car parked out near the fence, near Onion's hole. Another vehicle, a large bus, was parked alongside it. Steven could make out Doug Maheswaran and another individual who looked like Sour Cream. It was Marty!

"Marty?!" Steven shouted in surprise.

Sneering, Marty turned his head towards the group. "That's them officer! Those are the trespassers!"

"Steven? Onion? Kids? What are you doing here? This is privately-owned property." Doug asked, crossing his arms in disappointment. He soon noticed the older man with them. "Wait… Sir David Attenborough?"

"Just David Attenborough will suffice, always disliked the 'sir'. Pleasure to meet you officer." David and Doug shook hands.

"Wow, I've seen many of your documentaries. Of course, we encourage educational programming at the Maheswaran residence." Doug explained, blushing at this meeting of a celebrity.

"What's with all the friendliness?! Arrest them!" Marty shouted, pointing at the group.

"Marty, they're children." Doug responded. "And I'm pretty sure one of them is your son-in-law."

"Eh?" Marty looked at Onion, who glared at him.

"What are you doing here Marty?! Do you have something to do with the forest?" Steven demanded.

"As a matter of fact I do, Star Child Jr. You see, after my ungrateful son ruined my GuaCola deal, I've had to find more sponsors to help with the music business. I managed to score a deal with a new company called GuavaLava Cosmetics, but the only way they'd agree was if we made room for one of their manufacturing plants." Marty explained, throwing Steven a sample bottle of facial cream. "But, enough talk, you're on land that I paid for! Scram!"

"Not so fast Marty. I'm afraid you're going to have to leave this forest alone." David Attenborough walked up to the man, crossing his arms.

"Oh yeah, and why is that old man?" Marty growled.

"In our little expedition into these woods, we have discovered evidence that rare and endangered species are occupying the land here. This is an old-growth forest, one of the last ones on the east coast, and we have to ensure it remains as it is, for the survival of all that lives there." David replied.

"Are you serious?! What could possibly be endangered here in these woods?" Marty asked, annoyed.

"For one, there is an enormous population of rare butterflies called Hessel's hairstreaks. And we have also found bog turtles, which are critically endangered." Attenborough explained.

Marty simply have a heavy laugh. "Are you kidding me? Endangered butterflies? What's so bad about some dainty bug going extinct? Who's going to care?"

"We do!" Steven shouted, "they have a right to exist! Just like us!"

"You must understand Marty," David began, "yes, it might not seem like much that one butterfly species goes extinct. But if that butterfly should die out, then any plants that it pollinates will have no one to distribute their pollen, and they too could die out. And once that happens, you have just denied food for several herbivorous species, who will then go extinct as well. Every species has its place in an ecological food web; all life is connected in some way. Remove one species, and you may end up wiping out an entire ecosystem."

"Psh, can you get a load of this officer?" Marty slapped the back of his palm on Doug playfully, who frowned at his rudeness. "Look, I already paid GuavaLava and the construction crew! I have all the papers with me! This is happening, regardless of some stupid animals. Or stupid people."

Steven fumed and took a look at the little facial-cream bottle. There was one ingredient that surprised him. "Hey Mr. Attenborough, what's Knieskern's beaksedge?" he asked.

"That's a kind of beach-living sedge, similar and related to grasses. It's incredibly rare. In fact, they're thought to be extinct in Delmarva." David explained. "Why do you ask?"

"It's listed as an ingredient on this bottle." Steven handed the container to David, who confirmed it. He turned to Marty, quite ticked off.

"Marty… these plants are very rare and GuavaLava is using them for facial cream?! Where is this company collecting them?!" David asked.

"Look, does it matter? GuavaLava is a local company, they probably get it from around here. But enough about that, Doug, are you going to reprimand these people or what? I have work to do!" Marty asked, only to see Doug looking very upset as well.

"Marty… Delmarva state law prohibits the use of federally-listed endangered species in commercial products. I'd be far less concerned with arresting a few supervised children and more concerned with how your company is going to explain this to U.S. Fish and Wildlife." Doug said.

"Oh come on! It's just a plant!" Marty screamed, clenching his fists.

"This is serious. I'm afraid I'm going to have to make a few calls. You're in a lot of trouble Marty. Please come with me and wait by the vehicle." Doug warned, heading over to his car.

"But… but… ARGH!" Marty turned to David, Steven, and the other kids. "You Universes have a nasty habit of ruining things! And I don't know who you are Mr. Attensquirrel or whatever, but this isn't over!" With that, Marty stopped over towards the police vehicle, begrudgingly waiting for Doug.

Onion walked over to Steven, whispering in his ear.

"Yeah… you're technically related." Steven replied, giving Onion a queasy feeling.

As Onion returned to Garbanzo and the others, David got down to Steven's level. "Steven, I do believe we've done another good deed today. Let's hope this plays out in the right way."

"I think we have more than enough proof to save this forest. You know… you really opened my eyes today." Steven responded.

"Is that so?" David said, "in what way?"

"Well, I used to come to the forest with my friends just to hang out. I appreciated the beauty of it, of course, but I never realized how special it could be. How all the plants and animals don't just live in the woods, but really work together to keep it healthy. I don't even like bugs all that much, but there are some really cool ones out there that I never even noticed! What I'm trying to say is, you made these woods even more special to me than ever before! Thank you for showing me."

"It's my pleasure. It's what I love to do after all, share my knowledge of natural history with the world, and do something to help preserve it. And I have to thank you for listening and helping me. Without you and your resourceful friends this old-growth forest and the living things that called it home would have been lost forever. You saved many lives today." David smiled, and the two shared a hug… followed by the others joining in.

…

It turned out that GuavaLava Cosmetics violated several laws through their use of threatened and endangered species in their products, and they were swiftly shut down. While Marty himself wasn't arrested, he did end up paying some nasty fines for his association with the company. With no business to own the land, the fence was removed, and the forest taken over by the National Parks Service. That way, the land could be enjoyed by all.

Steven, Onion, Garbanzo, Pinto, Squash, and Soup returned to the forest on many an occasion, only now they weren't just hanging out and playing. They continued to look for strange new animals and plants; Onion's friends were very good at finding bugs.

David Attenborough had to leave again, but gave Steven the immense comfort of knowing that whenever the boy needed his help (or whenever he needed Steven's), he was sure to be there.

 _The End!_


End file.
